FOREST WIN LATE ON AT WEST HAM

Nottingham Forest extended the gap between themselves and the relegation zone to seven points after they came from behind to beat West Ham United 2-1 at London Stadium.

Morgan Gibbs-White’s 89th-minute penalty was the decisive moment, with the Forest captain also winning the late spot-kick after being fouled by Alphonse Areola.

Murillo had turned the ball into his own net in the 13th minute to gift the Hammers the lead, but Nicolas Dominguez restored parity from a set-piece at the other end in the second half.

Late in the game, Areola came out to punch a free-kick away, but instead caught Gibbs-White, with the England international dusting himself down to score from 12 yards.

Forest have now created some breathing room between themselves and the Hammers, who could drop to 19th if Burnley beat Manchester United at home on Wednesday.

How the match unfolded

Areola was called into action in the 10th minute, with the West Ham goalkeeper going full stretch to brilliantly tip Neco Williams’ curling effort from distance past the post.

And that intervention was rewarded at the other end soon after, with the Hammers going ahead when Tomas Soucek’s near-post flick on from a corner was diverted into his own net by Murillo.

Forest came close to restoring parity three minutes before the break, but after Callum Hudson-Odoi cut inside from the left, he saw his shot cannon against the crossbar and behind.

The visitors were given an early reprieve in the second half when Crysencio Summerville’s goal was ruled out following a VAR check for offside, and they made the most of it three minutes later as Dominguez’s looping header from Elliot Anderson’s corner floated in at the far post.

Another set-piece situation led to the winner, with Areola completely misjudging the flight of a cross before catching Gibbs-White in the face, and the latter outfoxed the goalkeeper from 12 yards out as he shot straight down the middle after the penalty was awarded after a VAR review.

Areola’s rollercoaster performance

After a 3-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, three points would have been at the top of Nuno’s agenda heading into this match.

But on a night when the Hammers boss would have hoped for his new strikers, Valentin Castellanos and Pablo, to make the headlines, it was his goalkeeper who did so for all the wrong reasons.

His side looked to be on their way to a much-needed win over the team just above them in the table, with Areola making a crucial save early on before they took the lead.

The Frenchman also made an important save at 1-1 as he managed to hold on to a well-struck effort from Dominguez, keeping his side’s hopes of snatching a late win alive.

However, a lack of concentration from the goalkeeper at the other end, after Jean-Clair Todibo’s poor defending led to Forest’s equaliser, cost West Ham dearly.

Soucek had already won the defensive header from Forest’s free-kick when Areola fouled Gibbs-White, and a quick trip to the monitor for referee Tony Harrington was enough to penalise the goalkeeper.

Another trip down memory lane is next for Nuno as they travel to Tottenham Hotspur next in their next Premier League match, but that comes after an FA Cup third-round tie against Queens Park Rangers this Sunday.

Forest extend their advantage

Dyche’s side looked happy to hold onto their point at London Stadium after their earlier chances had gone begging.

Areola denied Williams’ early effort that looked destined for the top-right corner, while Hudson-Odoi could not take advantage of Kyle Walker-Peters’ poor defending towards the end of the first half.

Forest made their game plan known from the first whistle, looking to unsettle the Hammers as quickly as possible to dampen the atmosphere among the home supporters.

Murillo’s own goal derailed that tactic, but Dominguez’s equaliser, which came moments after Summerville’s disallowed strike, did the trick for the visitors.

From there on in, it looked like a classic Forest performance as they frustrated West Ham with a low block while looking to snatch a winner on the counter.

Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo were able to close down chances for the hosts in the box, with the latter poking the ball away from Jarrod Bowen right before the England international looked to unleash his shot.

Their defending was rewarded late on, with Gibbs-White keeping his cool from the penalty spot, with Forest perhaps now focused on looking up rather than over their shoulder.

They will travel to Wrexham next for their FA Cup third-round tie before hosting league leaders Arsenal on 17 January.